Book Review: A Shot of Red by Tracy March

A Shot of Red by Tracy March

Standalone novel

Publisher: Entangled Publishing LLC

Release Date: 22nd April 2014

Tagged under: review copy, 3.5, 2014 read, romantic suspense, romance, book review

Pages: 400

Buy at: Amazon, The Book Depository

Her only ally is the one man she's forbidden to love...

After fleeing DC following an intense one-night stand that left her reeling, biotech company heiress Mia Moncure has devoted every waking hour to working with a humanitarian aid team in Haiti. When the United States is threatened with a flu epidemic, she is forced to return home to unveil a new vaccine. But when the company's PR Director dies in a suspicious accident in Switzerland, Mia soon realizes there is a murderer in their midst. 

Determined to seek justice and reveal the killer, Mia heads to Switzerland. But she quickly becomes a target when she uncovers a conspiracy to sabotage the vaccine. Desperate for backup, she has no choice but to turn to sexy Gio Lorenzo, the one-night stand she can't forget. Millions of people are being vaccinated, and Mia and Gio soon discover there's more than her family's legacy at stake. While struggling with their stormy relationship, they race to expose the deadline scheme, but it just might be too late.

Book Review [Spoiler Free] 

A Shot of Red is a romantic suspense by Tracy March that delves into a complicated plot with murder, millions of lives potentially at stake and amongst all the drama and intrigue, a love story filled with passion. Mia Moncure, while in Haiti both for humanitarian work as well as escaping the personal dramas she left behind in the States, is suddenly called back by her grandmother - head of the Moncure Therapeutics - to head their new PR campaign to get millions of people vaccinated with the new annual flu vaccine. However, once she returns, she discovers that not all is as it seems. The company's PR Director's sudden death in the Alps does not appear to happen the way she was told, there could be more in the vaccine that they are aware of, and someone appears to be after Mia's life.

To make things more complicated, Mia is forced into close proximity to Gio Lorenzo, the one man she escaped to Haiti for as he invokes deep feelings within her that leaves her all flustered and confused. The pair shared one intense night together and with so much left unspoken between the two of them, will they be able to work together to uncover the mystery and stay alive in the process?

The overall story plot is intriguing and incredibly enjoyable to read. While the story does take awhile to build up the pace as there are some background setting and information to convey to the reader, once the ball gets rolling, it is almost impossible to put the book down. Just be careful in the earlier chapters when the narrative flashes between the present and the past.

In addition, all the characters are well-developed. I especially found Mia really relatable. She is an independent woman with her own mind and certainly no damsel-in-distress. Rio, on the other hand, is just the type of man you wish is there on a rainy day to jump in and sweep you off your feet. Even the secondary characters are all three-dimensional with their own personalities and agendas.

Plus, the chemistry between Mia and Rio is palpable across the pages and enjoyable to read. My only minor quibble with the entire book would be how quickly their chemistry is established in the story. I do appreciate that Mia is attractive and Rio is desirable. But their attraction to each other initially felt like a stated fact without much explanation. However, once the story progresses and the pair interacts with each other more, the relationship developing between the couple is more realistic and highly entertaining.

Overall: 3.5/5

I really enjoyed this book and having been a new reader of Tracy March, this book definitely gives me the confidence to try her other books. I'm particularly looking forward to reading her contemporary romances such as the Suddenly Smitten series. For fans of romantic suspense, I'd definitely suggest giving A Shot of Red a try. 

Disclaimer: A complimentary copy of the ebook was provided to me by the author and publisher in exchange of an honest review. The views expressed above are entirely my own and are in, no way, affected by the source of this book.

Book Review: Pivot Point (Book #1) by Kasie West

Pivot Point by Kasie West

Series: Pivot Point (Book #1)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: 12th February 2013
Tagged under: 2014 read, 2014 favourites, fantasy, 4.5, YA-fiction, book review
Pages: 343
Buy at: Amazon, The Book Depository

One Girl. Two Fates. One choice

Knowing the outcome doesn't always make a choice easier... 

Addison Coleman's life is one big "what if?" As a searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It's the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie's parents ambush her with the new of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with - her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the "Norms," or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should always be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it's not. 

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school - but she never wanted to be a quarterback's girlfriend. When Addie's father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she's unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she's willing to live through... and who she can't live without.

Book Review [Spoiler Free]

This book, like so many books I'm reading recently, came to me highly recommended, so much so that I listed this book and its sequel, Split Second, on my Autumn TBR list. The plot is intriguing, almost in a pick your own adventure/ending sort of way, and I eagerly dived into this book.

As the plot summary suggests, Addison Coleman has an advanced mind. Her ability, Divergence, allows her to "live through" two lives whenever she needs to make a choice and thus, helps her select which outcome she wants to end up in. Thus, when the story opens with the news of her parent's divorce, she decides to Search it for six weeks to decide her fate.

At first, the two separate choices are distinct stories, each with their own share of problems and intrigues. In the life that Addison chooses to stay with her mother, she stays with her best friend and is being pursued by the school's quarterback. But life soon changes from idyllic to something sinister as trouble brews in the horizon. In the life that Addison could have if she chooses to leave the Compound with her father, she becomes the new girl in a Norm school and has to juggle the need to keep her past life a secret and the growing friendships she is developing with the Norms. However, even out here, she couldn't escape the mystery that's brewing back in the Compound. 

As the two stories progress, things begin to intertwine and the reader discovers that perhaps the two lives are not as separate as everyone thinks. One of the best features of this book is as the two stories begin to overlap and blend, pieces of the two time streams begin to appear in one another. A close friend in one life will appear as an interesting stranger in the other. Someone that pops in and out of the characters' lives in one life has a name and background slowly revealed in the alternative. Witnessing Addison live out the two lives, the reader has a bit of foreknowledge yet at the same time, Kasie West keeps a tight reign on the plot and only reveals things at the time and place of her choosing. 

And the relationships! I'm not a big fan of love triangles unless it's done well and this one had me all gooey and melting on the inside. It's not technically a love triangle yet at the same time, Addison is in theory torn between the two boys and with her decision on which life she wants to live out, she does end up choosing one or the other. That's all I'm going to say on this topic. And my lips are zipped with regards to the ending. Suffice to say, I eagerly dived into Split Second as soon as I closed the cover of this book.

Overall: 4.5/5

This book is definitely a strong contender to be featured on this year's favourites list. I enjoyed it very much and can't wait to start its sequel. I highly recommend it to people looking for a good YA-fiction that's urban fantasy in nature without dystopian elements thrown in. 

Feature Follow Friday: Personal Pets?

Feature Follow Friday is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. It's a way for bloggers and readers alike to make some new friends and gain some new followers as well. The point of this hop is to follow other bloggers. I follow you, you follow me.

Also, this week's featured blogger is Literary Escapism, so make sure you check it out too.

While I do prefer GFC and/or Bloglovin follows, if you would like to follow me via email/twitter etc, that's great too! Also, please leave a comment so I can follow you back!

Question of the Week

Have any pets? Tell us or show us.

I am a huge dogs person! But unfortunately I don't own one. Mostly because as much as I adore dogs, my mother is freaked out by them by just as much. Seriously, we would be walking by the shops and there would be a fat little beagle tied to a lamp-post who's ignoring us and my mother would let out a scream and back away.

*sigh*

But one day when I get my own place, I'd definitely get my own dog - probably a golden retriever or a labrador! :D

So yeah, sadly I have no pets at the moment. What about you? Leave a comment and/or link down below and I'll be sure to check it out!

Recent Book Purchases

As a follow-up to my post earlier regarding Dymock's 101 Best Books, I recently visited the bookstore and simply couldn't resist picking up a few books from the list. Dymocks had a 3 for the price of 2 deal going on, which meant I ended up walking out with 3 books (after having agonized for a good twenty minutes which 3) and they are as follow:

Firstly, I got a book that I've mentioned several times in the past and which I finally now have in my possession - The Fault in Our Stars. This was the first book I grabbed and I knew I had to get it. Yes, I haven't read TFIOS yet and I still haven't read any of John Green's books but it's now finally in my TBR and I will get to it for sure.

Having recently finished The Book Thief by Mark Zusak, as soon as I finish TFIOS, I will have read the top 5 books on the 101 Best Books list.

The next book I got was The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. To my eternal shame, despite The Lord of the Rings being my favourite novel of all time, I never got around to reading The Hobbit. I've ever read some volumes of The Simarillion for crying out loud! But yes, I am definitely looking forward to reading this book and then watching the movie adaptation. And yes, I haven't gotten around to that either. So much to read and watch in so little time!

The last book that I got was the omnibus edition of Haruki Murakami's 1Q84. To be honest, I'm not too familiar with the story premise but I have heard some great things about this book and I'm intrigued to find out what this book is all about.

Book Review: The Book Thief by Mark Zusak

The Book Thief by Mark Zusak

Standalone novel

Publisher: Picador

Release Date: 1st September 2005

Tagged under: 2014 read, 2014 favourites, favourites, historical, literary, 5

Pages: 584

Buy at: Amazon, The Book Depository

The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller...

It is 1939. Nazi Germany.

The country is holding its breath.

Death has never been busier,

and will become busier still.

By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up an object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, and it is her first act of book thievery. 

So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burning, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found. 

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.

Book Review [Spoiler Free]

Having heard so many glowing review from fellow book bloggers, booktubers and just book lovers in general, I knew going into this book that this will be amazing. I guess, in a way, that's what made me hesitant to start this novel. After all, what if this book doesn't live up to all the hype?

Let me reassure you, this one does. It totally does. It even exceeds all my expectations.

With Death as its narrator, you know The Book Thief is going to be quite an unusual book. And it is. Nothing is told in chronological order. There is a heavy sense of foreshadowing of what is to come. And it is a story set in World War II - yet it's not about all the action and drama of the battles (though there is some elements of that) nor is it about the struggles of the Jewish (though there is some elements of that too). Instead, it is a tale of a young German girl growing up with a love of books and it is through her eyes, with the voice of Death, that you the reader experiences the daily lives that German citizens lived through.

If you go into this book expecting plenty of action and drama, you will be sadly disappointed. Yet at the same time, there is a lot more to the book than the daily lives of the residents of Himmel Street. Several strands of stories are woven together into a bigger tale and there are many spots where you have all the pieces of the puzzle but it takes a further couple of chapters before you see the full picture.

Another highlight of this book is its language. A quick glance through the reviews on Goodreads shows that most of them have listed some amazing quotes from this book. There are so many simple yet profound statements dotted throughout the book that leave you with a sense of wonderment as if you have suddenly realized - of course, why did I think of that? I wish I had kept track of all of my favourite quotes on my first read-through but I know I'll soon return to this book with plenty of post-it notes for a re-read. The following one still haunts me -

[On the topic of Jews on their death march to another concentration camp]

The suffering faces of depleted men and women reached across to them, pleading not so much for help - they were beyond that - but for an explanation. Just something to subdue this confusion.

Overall: 5/5

This is an amazing book, definitely one of this year's favourites and it has even earned itself a spot on my all-time favourites shelf. Had I read it in one go, I definitely would have been moved to tears. Unfortunately, due to work, I read it in fragments and had time in between to absorb some of the shock. Even then, there were a couple of moments where I came close to tears. I'll definitely be heading back for a re-read soon and putting a lot of post-it notes in to mark my favourite spots.

Dymocks - The best 101 books as voted by Dymocks booklovers

So recently, I came across Dymocks' list of the best 101 books as voted by their book buyers. For the complete list, you can click here. Curious, I grabbed the catalogue and started ticking the books that I have read and here were my results:

• In the top 10, I'm actually not doing too bad and I have read 6 of the top 10 with another 1, TFIOS, on my TBR list. Plus, 1984 is sort of tentatively on my TBR.
• In the top 11 to 50, I've only read 6 with another 2 on my TBR. I definitely fall short on the classics genre, which features heavily on this list. There's another 2 that I've started and can't really say I've finished - the Bible (read it sporadically in high school - I went to a Lutheran college) and Fifty Shades of Grey (sorry but I couldn't stomach the writing - made it partway into the first book and had to put it down)
• In the top 51 to 101, I've only read 5 (*sigh*) with a few on my TBR. 

I recognise most of the books on this list but I just haven't had the time to read them, especially the classics. Classics just takes forever to get through and although, at the end of it, they are worth the effort, I don't have that much spare time to devote to them.

My goal is to make an effort to be able to tick off most of the books on this list, starting from the top.

Feature Follow Friday: Dream Spring Break Destination

Feature Follow Friday is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. It's a way for bloggers and readers alike to make some new friends and gain some new followers as well. The point of this hop is to follow other bloggers. I follow you, you follow me.

Also, this week's featured blogger is Pabkins @ Not Yet Read, so make sure you check it out too.

While I do prefer GFC and/or Bloglovin follows, if you would like to follow me via email/twitter etc, that's great too! Also, please leave a comment so I can follow you back!

Question of the Week:

Spring break. Where would be your favourite destination spot if you could join the Spring Break festivities?

Considering I'm heading into Autumn now, anywhere warm and beachy would be awesome. I would love to go to somewhere tropical with a bunch of my friends. If only, of course, I didn't have work. :D

Anyway, so that's where I would love to go. What would be your ideal spring break getaway? Leave a comment and/or link down below and I'll be sure to check it out!